7 Best Setmore Alternatives & Competitors in 2026: Compare Features, Pricing, & More

Key Takeaways

Setmore is great for basic scheduling—but limited for growing clinics.

Pabau is the perfect alternative for clinics: Combines EMR, CRM, payments, and marketing in one platform.

Calendly is best for consultants and small teams: Simplifies scheduling needs with automated reminders and smart calendar integration.

Bookeo is best for service businesses and tours: Manages appointments, classes, and bookings with real-time availability and secure payments.

If you’ve outgrown simple scheduling software like Setmore,  you need the right alternatives to manage and scale your business. 

This guide compares the top 7 competitors to help you find the perfect match for your clinic’s workflow and budget in 2026.

Compare the best setmore alternatives at a glance

Pabau: Best all-in-one practice scheduling software

Pabau is practice management software built for growing clinics, and it offers much more than simple scheduling. 

While Setmore focuses solely on appointments, Pabau combines booking, CRM, payments, marketing, and clinical tools—all in one platform. 

It’s especially strong for med spas, injectables, dermatology, psychotherapy, GP clinics, and multi-location operations, providing advanced automation and retention features like deposits, packages, memberships, and loyalty programs.

Key features 

Unlike basic booking tools like Setmore, Pabau is built to run your entire clinic, and not just your calendar.

By bringing your operations, clinical workflows, and revenue tools together in one place, Pabau helps you run a more efficient, compliant, and profitable business.

Some of Pabau’s powerful features that make this possible include:

• Complete client records + CRM

With Pabau, you can maintain comprehensive, fully centralized client records that give your team a 360° view of every client interaction. From contact details and appointment history to consultation notes, treatment records, invoices, consent forms, and communication logs—everything is stored securely in one place.

The built-in CRM system allows you to:

• Track client journeys from first enquiry to loyal repeat visitor
• Log calls, emails, SMS, and consultation notes
• Set automated follow-ups and task reminders
• Segment clients based on treatments, spending habits, or engagement

This eliminates scattered information across spreadsheets and inboxes, improves team collaboration, and ensures a consistent, personalized client experience at every touchpoint.

• Built-in clinical tools (EMR + treatment documentation)

Pabau’s integrated Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system simplifies clinical documentation while maintaining compliance and accuracy. You can easily record treatments, update medical histories, and store digital consent forms in a secure, structured format.

Key capabilities include:

• Customizable treatment templates
• Photo uploads and progress tracking
• Digital consent forms with e-signatures
• Automated treatment summaries and documentation
• Audit trails for compliance and accountability

• Memberships, packages, and advanced payments

Pabau allows you to create recurring memberships, prepaid treatment bundles, gift vouchers, and automated deposit systems—all within the same platform.

This feature helps you:

• Secure upfront payments and improve cash flow
• Encourage client loyalty with subscription models
• Automate billing for recurring memberships
• Track package usage and balances in real time
• Reduce cancellations with mandatory deposits

• Automation + marketing to fill your calendar

Pabau offers intelligent reminders, follow-ups, and targeted marketing campaigns designed to re-engage clients and maximize appointment capacity.

You can:

• Send automated SMS and email appointment reminders
• Trigger post-treatment follow-ups
• Launch segmented email marketing campaigns
• Re-engage inactive clients with promotions
• Track campaign performance and ROI

• By combining scheduling tools, CRM, and marketing automation in one platform, you create a streamlined system that not only manages your clinic but also actively supports business growth.

Pricing

Where Pabau shines

• Clinic-specific workflow: Pabau is built specifically for clinics. It includes medical-grade charting, treatment documentation, and digital consent forms, allowing practitioners to capture detailed client records securely and efficiently.
  
• Scalability: Whether you’re a solo practitioner or an enterprise-level clinic with multiple locations, Pabau scales with your needs. Multi-location scheduling, staff management, and role-based permissions make it easy to coordinate large teams and ensure smooth operations across all sites. 

• Unified platform: Pabau brings EMR, CRM, billing, memberships, marketing, and client communication into a single, secure platform. With one login, your team can manage appointments, client histories, automated campaigns, and payments without switching between tools.
  
• Insights and reporting for revenue growth: Pabau’s built-in dashboards and reporting tools give you a clear view of your practice’s performance. You can track revenue by service, monitor staff productivity, measure marketing ROI, and analyze client retention patterns. 

Where Pabau falls short

• Steep learning curve and setup time: Because Pabau offers a deep and highly customisable feature set, new users often find the platform takes time to learn.
  
• Complexity for small teams: Smaller practices or solo practitioners who only need basic scheduling tools and reminders can find Pabau’s extensive capabilities overwhelming.
  
• Higher price compared to basic scheduling tools: Pabau’s starting cost is significantly higher than basic appointment‑only schedulers like Setmore or Calendly. 

Customer reviews

“Pabau has been a game changer for my clinic, it keeps everything running smoothly and professionally. From managing patients and treatments to marketing and reporting, it’s all in one place and easy to use. The support team are brilliant. After using it for years, I can confidently say it’s the best system out there for aesthetic clinics.” – Luisa S., Capterra

“Pabau has been amazing. After using many other softwares for the clinic in the past this has by far been the most user friendly. The staff are also extremely helpful . Thankyou!” – Verified Reviewer, Capterra

Who Pabau is best for 

• Multi-location clinic owner: Owners who need a central system to manage multiple practitioners across multiple locations.
  
• Aesthetic practices: Managers who need secure clinical documentation, consent forms, injection plotting, and progress tracking.
  
• Clinic owner focused on growth and revenue: Clinics that look to increase client retention and revenue with automation and reporting.

Calendly

Calendly is a cloud-based scheduling platform. It integrates seamlessly with your existing calendar, automatically displaying your real-time availability so that invitees can choose a convenient time without conflicts. 

Beyond simple meeting coordination, Calendly also offers features such as automated reminders, buffer times, time zone detection, and customizable scheduling rules, making it easier to manage appointments efficiently and reduce scheduling errors.

Key features

• Event scheduling: Pre-built templates for various meeting formats, such as quick 15-minute intro calls, hour-long demos, or multi-participant sessions.
  
• Team scheduling: Flexible options like Round Robin (distributing meetings across team members), Collective (booking multiple team members together), and Group (ideal for webinars or classes).
  
• Meeting polls: Lets a group vote on several proposed times and automatically schedule the option with the most votes.

Pricing

Where Calendly shines

• Smart lead routing: Forms automatically qualify leads and direct them to the appropriate account executive based on region or industry.

• Automated workflows: Streamlines reminders, follow-ups, and other scheduling needs without manual effort.
  
• Branded booking pages: You can customize your scheduling pages to reflect your professional look and business identity.
  

Where Calendly falls short 

• High team costs: While individual plans are reasonably priced, the Teams plan ($16/user/month) is almost 60% more expensive than the Standard plan, meaning a 10-person team could spend nearly $2,000 annually just on scheduling tool.
  
• Key features restricted: Important business tools—like Stripe/PayPal payments, automated workflows (SMS reminders), and Round Robin scheduling—aren’t available on free or entry-level plans.
  
• No resource management: You can’t schedule physical resources such as meeting rooms, equipment, or vehicles.

Customer reviews

“Overall, my experience is pretty good with it. It’s just hard if you have to schedule for multiple people because you have to look up each person’s calendar and then go on calendar and look for an appointment time. I wish it had the ability to connect with your own calendar.” – Victoria H., Capterra

“In my opinion the platform is not where it should be in this day in age.” – Briana M., Capterra

Who is Calendly best for

• Small teams and consultants: Needing automated scheduling tools, reminders, and payment collection for clients.
  
• Trainers and educators: Can run group classes, webinars, or multi-person sessions efficiently.

Bookeo

Bookeo is a cloud-based, all-in-one booking and scheduling platform built for service providers, instructors, and tour operators to manage reservations around the clock. 

It includes dedicated modules for appointments (salons and spas), classes or courses, and tours or activities, offering real-time availability, secure online payments, automated reminders, and marketing features to help reduce no-shows.

Key features

• Scheduling and real-time updates: A live dashboard keeps availability up to date as bookings occur, with two-way sync for Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook.
  
• Payment processing: Supports secure online payments and deposits via Stripe, PayPal, and Square, and includes an integrated POS system for in-person transactions.
  
• Client Management: Centralizes customer information, booking history, and intake forms for easy access and management.

Pricing

Where Bookeo shines 

• Flexible and customizable: Offers extensive customization for booking pages to match your brand.
  
• Seamless website integration: Easily embed Bookeo’s booking widget into your existing website (including WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace) so customers can book without being redirected elsewhere.
  
• Built-in marketing tools: Provides integrated features like gift vouchers, memberships, prepaid packages (punch cards), and promotional tools.

Where Bookeo falls short

• Outdated interface: The design feels dated compared to modern competitors, which can affect overall brand presentation.
  
• No native mobile app: There’s no dedicated iOS or Android app for business owners, limiting on-the-go management.
  
• Limited timezone handling: Weak automatic timezone support can cause confusion for national or international bookings.
  
• No live onboarding: Setup is self-guided, with no live demos or phone-based onboarding support.

Customer reviews

“Bookeo allowed us to start taking bookings almost immediately after launching our business. It was great at the time, but we ultimately had to switch services due to lack of the features we needed.” – Jeremy J., Capterra

“Calendar scheduling and reminders should be simple, Bookeo makes it difficult.” – FREDERICK K., Capterra

Who Bookeo is best for 

• Small to mid-sized service businesses and solo entrepreneurs: looking for an affordable system without commission fees.

Bookafy

Bookafy is a powerful, automated online scheduling platform designed to help businesses of all sizes streamline appointment management and improve client communication. 

It seamlessly syncs with major calendars—including Google, Outlook, Apple, and Exchange—ensuring schedules are always up to date.

Key features

• Automated communication: Sends email confirmations, SMS reminders, and follow-up review requests to help minimize no-shows.
  
• Variety of appointment types: Handles one-on-one meetings, group sessions, recurring bookings, and classes.
  
• Buffer times: Lets you add automatic gaps between appointments for travel, setup, or preparation.

Pricing

Where Bookafy shines

• Advanced team routing: Skill-Based and Round Robin routing make it easy for sales teams and large service providers to distribute leads fairly and efficiently.
  
• Global accessibility: Supports over 30 languages, allowing clients around the world to book in their preferred language.
  
• Seamless website integration: Easily embeds via iframe or pop-up buttons, with strong compatibility through its partnership with the Duda website builder.

Where Bookafy falls short 

• No native PayPal integration: Bookafy currently lacks a built-in PayPal option, which can be a drawback for businesses whose clients prefer to pay with a credit card via Stripe.
  
• Limited form options: Some users find the intake forms too basic, missing advanced field types like dropdowns or checkboxes for more complex client questionnaires.
  
• Mobile sync delays: Events added to Google Calendar from mobile devices don’t always sync to Bookafy, while entries from a PC sync reliably.

Customer reviews

“It’s comprehensive, offers great, personal user support, and it’s not expensive.” – chris D., Capterra

“I don’t really like it. It’s too hard to manage the dashboard” – Esther G., Capterra

Who Bookafy is best for 

• Solopreneurs and budget-conscious non-profits: Perfect for those who want unlimited appointments and meeting types at little to no monthly cost.

Appointy

Appointy is a cloud-based, all-in-one scheduling platform built to simplify bookings, minimize no-shows, and manage staff for service-based businesses. 

It offers automated reminders, secure payment processing, and calendar management integration with Google and Outlook, serving industries such as health, fitness, beauty, and education.

Key features 

• Automated reminders: Sends email and SMS confirmations and reminders to help lower no-show rates.
  
• Resource management: Enables businesses to schedule and manage shared resources such as equipment, treatment rooms, or staff availability.
  
• Payments: Accepts secure online prepayments using Stripe, PayPal, or Square.

Pricing

Where Appointy shines

• Social media integration: Ability to add a fully functional booking tab to Facebook so clients can book without leaving the platform.
  
• Multi-language support: Supports 24+ languages, ideal for international or diverse audiences.
  
• Field service features: Area code mapping automatically assigns appointments to the nearest available staff.

Where Appointy falls short 

• Feature gating: Essential professional tools—like removing Appointy branding, managing multiple locations, and customizing SMS templates—are only available on the top-tier Enterprise plan.
  
• Limited customization: The booking portal’s design options are often too restrictive for full brand alignment, and confirmation emails or SMS notifications cannot be extensively customized without upgrading to higher-tier plans.

Customer reviews

“Overall, this is a great product. I love the chat feature they have and the staff is knowledgeable. Their response time is quick and they are always able to help with whatever I need.” – Ranette W., Capterra

“The scheduler is hard to use in the backend, is not flexible, and has a bad design” – martin d., G2

Who is Appointy best for

• Fitness and recreation centers: Ideal for gyms, yoga studios, and dance instructors that need to manage class sizes and track recurring attendance.

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling (part of Squarespace) is a comprehensive online appointment management platform that functions as a “24/7 personal assistant” for service-based businesses. 

It helps automate the administrative tasks of booking appointments, managing client information, and processing payments, allowing businesses to save time, reduce scheduling errors, and focus on providing services. 

Key features

• Self-scheduling: Clients can easily book, reschedule, or cancel appointments via a customizable booking page or embedded scheduler.
  
• Availability management: Set regular weekly hours, create unique schedules for staff or locations, and use scheduling limits to prevent overbooking.
  
• Client intake: Automated forms capture important information, such as project details or medical history, at the time of booking.

Pricing

Where Aucity Scheduling shines 

• Upselling: Promote additional services (e.g., “Add a 15-minute scalp massage”) directly at checkout.
  
• Loyalty tools: Manage and sell appointment packages, subscriptions, and gift certificates within the platform.
  
• Flexible pricing: Offer pay-what-you-want options, sliding scales, or required deposits to help reduce no-shows.

Where Aucity Scheduling falls short 

• Limited native integrations: Deeper built‑in integrations with CRMs, marketing platforms, or niche business tools often require third‑party connectors like Zapier.
  
• Branding limitations on lower plans: Removing “Powered by Acuity” branding isn’t possible until you upgrade to the Premium (or higher) tier.
  
• No built‑in team resource management: Acuity handles calendars well, but it doesn’t offer robust resource scheduling for things like rooms, equipment, or other non‑staff assets in the way some competitors do.

Customer reviews

“Acuity has a lot of flexible features that can solve most needs. However, the customer experience is confusing and many make mistakes because of it. It is also difficult to preview the customer experience in several areas.” – Matthew, Trustpilot

“The calendaring interface is poorly designed and difficult to navigate. It needs a complete re-design that is far more frictionless.” – Michael Blocker, Trustpilot

Who Aucity Scheduling is best for 

• Professionals like salons, therapists, tutors, and consultants: those who need reliable appointment booking and reminders.

Simplybook.me

SimplyBook.me is a comprehensive online booking and business management platform tailored for service-based industries, including beauty, wellness, healthcare, and education.

It serves as both a fully functional standalone booking website and a customizable widget that can be embedded seamlessly into existing websites such as WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. 

Beyond scheduling, SimplyBook.me also offers tools for client management, automated reminders, payment processing, and marketing, making it a complete solution for running and growing service-oriented businesses.

Key features

• Multichannel booking: Clients can book appointments via your custom booking site, website widget, or directly through Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business Profile.
  
• Automated communication: Send confirmations and reminders through email, SMS, or WhatsApp to help reduce no-shows.
  
• Payment management: Accept online and in-person payments using the integrated POS system with processors such as Stripe and PayPal.

Pricing

Where Simplybook.me shines

• Custom features: With over 80 modular “Custom Features,” users can add tools like HIPAA compliance, loyalty programs, and waiting lists tailored to their business needs.
  
• Management apps: A dedicated Admin App lets business owners manage calendars on the go, while a Branded Client App allows customers to book easily from mobile devices.
  
• “Make Me Look Busy” feature: Strategically hides certain open times to make your schedule appear in high demand, encouraging faster bookings.

Where Simplybook.me falls short

• Limited built-in marketing: Some marketing features require third-party integrations or additional setup.
• API limitations: Activating HIPAA-compliant features can disable API access, potentially disrupting custom developer workflows.
  
• Limited direct support: Standard support does not include phone assistance, so users must rely on live chat for help.

Customer reviews 

“So far most things have been seamless and I can research using their AI search tool. Sometimes when I reach out through the live chat I quickly get my questions answered.” – Bruce Y., Capterra

“This product while good intentioned, simply cannot handle execution at scale. This product should be limited to small vendors who only have a small number of people booking.” – Eku M., Capterra

Who SimplyBook.me is best for 

• Businesses that need multi-channel booking: Perfect for teams that need booking via website widgets, social media (Facebook/Instagram), Google profiles, and standalone pages.
  
• International businesses: Suited for organizations serving diverse audiences, thanks to extensive multi-language support.

Why consider Setmore alternatives?

While Setmore is a solid entry-level scheduling tool, growing service businesses often need more than just online booking. 

If you require deeper client management, advanced reporting, or built-in revenue tools, exploring alternatives can help you scale more efficiently and profitably.

Here are several key reasons to consider upgrading from basic scheduling software for your clinic:

Limited clinical and client management features

Setmore focuses primarily on appointment booking, but it lacks advanced client records, detailed treatment notes, and customizable medical forms. For healthcare, aesthetic, or wellness clinics, this can create compliance risks and operational gaps.

Platforms like Pabau go further by combining booking with fully integrated EMR, digital forms, and charting—so your clinical workflows live in one secure system.

Basic reporting and revenue insights

Setmore offers simple reports, but it lacks deep financial analytics, treatment performance tracking, and advanced revenue forecasting tools. This makes it difficult to identify your most profitable services, top-performing staff, or missed revenue opportunities.

Pabau provides powerful business intelligence dashboards and financial reporting that help clinics actively increase revenue.

Limited marketing and automation tools

Setmore includes basic reminders, but it doesn’t offer robust CRM-driven marketing, automated follow-ups, or targeted rebooking campaigns. This can limit client retention and lifetime value. 

Pabau integrates CRM, automated recalls, membership tracking, and marketing tools directly into the platform, helping clinics boost repeat bookings and long-term growth.

See why practices choose Pabau

Practices choose Pabau because it goes beyond simple scheduling to power every part of their business—from client records and treatment documentation to automated marketing and revenue reporting. 

By combining CRM, EMR, payments, memberships, and performance insights in one system, Pabau helps clinics operate more efficiently, stay compliant, and consistently grow their revenue without juggling multiple tools.

Book a demo call with Pabau and see how it will help your practice.

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